Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a boat cover and more particularly to a boat cover mounted on a boat lift.
The sheltering of boats presents many problems not encountered in conventional shelters. Boat houses can be very expensive due to the terrain encountered along a shoreline and the required strength to withstand strong wind gusts in areas vulnerable to gales and hurricanes. Also, it is desirable to have access to the shelter by driving the boat under the shelter or running the boat into the boat lifting mechanism. Because of the large structures required to build boat houses, with required footers and additional strength to carry the weight of the boat house, it is impractical to shelter a boat to be suspended on a boat lift.
In the prior art it is old to provide a boat dock that includes an open framework mounting a roof and which may be provided with side walls, and also to mount vertically elevatable cradle devices on the framework for lifting the boat out of the water at a location out of the water. U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,629 to Hall discloses a portable vehicle shelter with a frame over which is disposed a cover formed of duck, canvas, or other suitable materials. Inverted "U" shaped yokes are provided at front and rear ends of the frame and midway the length of the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,540 to Smith discloses a portable boat lift and a movable roof which is adapted to be hydraulically operated and a roof that automatically raises for easy boarding of the boat when the boat is lowered into the water. The lift is provided with a cradle having a pair of lifting arms which may be elevated to raise a boat clear of the water. The roof comprises a frame having outer side tubular rails which are inter-connected by a plurality of curved tubular cross members. The frame is covered with any suitable material, such as canvas. The roof is adapted to be rocked or pivoted about the longitudinal tube as an axle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,212 to Downer discloses a boat cover apparatus that is on a lift assembly supporting a boat above the level of the water, and cover apparatus that includes a cover assembly having a collapsible cover mounted by a cover frame to abut against the upper, outer peripheral edge portion of a boat as the cover assembly is moved between an elevated position and a cable assembly for selectively elevating the entire cover assembly above the boat and alternatively lowering the cover assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,901 to Mitchell discloses a cover for floating boat docks which utilizes precut, coated, fiber canvases, vertical and horizontal support elements, multiple rotatable couplings and detachable shoe-like receptacles, together with lacing rode and other miscellaneous hardware, to provide a shelter for a boat secured in a floating dock. Each of the partially pre-assembled vertical support elements is unfolded and re-enforced on the site with a lateral support member and a pair of angular truss members. A top canvas, two side canvasses, and a front and rear canvas are lashed to the front and rear roof members.
Collapsible structures from other applications have made contributions to the art but none meet the needs of boat covers as simply and as economically as does the present invention. The present invention meets its major objective of ease of assembly with a design that simultaneously provides resiliency, ease of assembly and economy not found in the boat lifts of the prior art.